


Ghosts of our Former Selves

by AppelleMoiJoelle



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Deviates From Canon, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/F, Original Character(s), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-16 22:38:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 19,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9292607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AppelleMoiJoelle/pseuds/AppelleMoiJoelle
Summary: The conflict between the Brotherhood of Steel, the Railroad, and the Institute has come to an end. The Institute has won. Reporter Piper Wright now must cope with living in a world ruled by one of the most mysterious forces in the Commonwealth, but her entire life is changed when she catches word of a mysterious figure hunting down the remaining members of The Brotherhood of Steel. A figure known only as "The Ghost."





	1. A Rude Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> I should be updating this at least once a week, but I intend to try getting a new chapter out every couple of days. I've had the concept for this story in my head for a long time, so I'm very glad that I've finally motivated myself to start writing it. I hope you guys enjoy it! P.S. - This is literally the first fanfiction I've ever written so please be gentle with me.

Every now and then there will come a morning when you wake up completely refreshed. Ready to face the day along with all the challenges it brings with it. Unfortunately this morning wasn’t one of those. In fact Piper was fairly certain that it wasn’t even morning yet. As the reporter rubbed her eyes she could hear a knocking at the door downstairs. As quickly as she could she reached for the pistol she kept on her drawer. Ever since the Institute had become the dominant power in the Commonwealth, she couldn’t take any chances. As she loaded the gun she could see her sister, Nat, quickly running up the stairs. 

“Nat, stay up here while I check who’s outside ok?” Piper whispered

Nat nodded apprehensively and hid. Piper slowly walked down the stairs; gun in hand, preparing for the worst. Had the Institute come to take her? Or Nat? No, not Nat. They would have no reason to kidnap a child. They were probably after her. She knew writing articles condemning the Institute might catch up with her sooner or later, but she never thought it would be this soon. Then again, with the complete demolition of both the Brotherhood of Steel, and the Railroad it looked like the Institute might finally be seeking to take out any other possible threats that stood in its way. Piper approached the door and aimed her gun at it.”

“Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Nick. Mind if I come in? We need to talk.”

Piper lowered her gun, taking a sigh of relief. “Of course. Let me just get the door.” She unlocked the door and opened it slowly to make sure it was actually her friend. There on her porch she recognized the old-world detective outfit of Nick Valentine, the best investigator in the Commonwealth. Well, second best after her of course. After all, Piper never got caught by a gang or held captive by said gang for over a week. 

“Geez, Nicky. You scared the hell out of me! Come inside.” Piper said, allowing Valentine to enter her home.

“I’m sorry about the wake up call, Piper, but it’s urgent. And I didn’t want any of the Institute’s goons catching me come here with this. Ever since the Institute took over it feels like there are synths just waiting around every corner.”

“With what?” Piper asked.

Nick reached into his coat revealing what appeared to be a distress pulser. One of the Brotherhood of Steel’s devices used to communicate short-range distances with one another or to request assistance. The detective placed the device on the living room table, and sighed. “On my way back home from Goodneighbor I found this. A brotherhood patrol was completely wiped out, bodies and ash everywhere. Evidently the Institute isn’t too keen on cleaning up their messes. I tried to see if there were any survivors, but as you could probably guess, there were none. This here distress-pulser though, it’s still alive and well. Every now and then it’ll beep. Probably picking up a transmission. I’ve tried keeping it as quiet as possible though, Diamond City security would probably think I was smuggling in a bomb or something if they heard it. And don’t even remind me what might’ve happened if those synths by Takahashi’s had heard it.”

“A transmission? From who? I thought that the brotherhood wa-“

In that moment the pulser beeped. A red light flashed signaling that the device was, in fact, picking up a transmission. “Quick, turn it on.” Piper said. “Let’s find out exactly what’s going on.”  
Valentine flipped a switch on the communicator and a voice could be heard emanating from the device. 

“To any and all brotherhood soldiers in the area. Stay away from Goodneighbor. I repeat, stay away from Goodneighbor. The ghost has been spotted in the area. Pull back to Oberland Station for regroup.” 

Nick turned the pulser off, and looked at Piper. “Looks like the brotherhood wasn’t completely destroyed after all.” Valentine remarked.

“Well, I’m not to surprised about that. The brotherhood is nothing but persistent. What I find surprising is that they’ve suddenly decided to start hunting the paranormal instead of synths.” The reporter quipped. 

“No, not the paranormal. Ghost seems more like a codename, if you ask me. The question is a codename for what? Or more likely, for whom?” Valentine looked at Piper, and frowned. 

“I’m sorry I’m heading out as soon as I got here, but I have to figure out what’s going on. If this ghost was capable of wiping out an entire brotherhood patrol by itself then we have a serious problem on our hands. I need to find out what this thing is, especially if it’s near Goodneighbor. I have to warn them.” Nick started for the door when Piper’s voice stopped him.

“Nicky, wait! Now what kind of friend would I be if I let you go ghost hunting alone?”


	2. Surprise

“You didn’t have to come along with me y’know, Piper.” The detective said as the duo walked to Goodneighbor. “You sure you don’t want to head back home? Your sister will be alright?”

“Yeah. She’ll be fine. I told her to lock up once I left, and if I wasn’t home by the time she got back home from school tomorrow to stay at a friend’s house.”

“Your sister’s a smart kid, and judging from the way she stands on that soapbox every day it looks like she’s going to try following in your footsteps. You should be proud.”

“I am, Nick. But, I just don’t think that-“ The sound of a gunshot could be heard coming from up ahead.

“We must be close to Goodneighbor. We’ve been walking for a solid forty minutes now, and if we were dealing with raiders or super mutants I’m pretty sure there would be a lot more yelling.”

“You’re right.” Piper said. The pair slowly advanced until they could finally see the glow of Goodneighbor’s front entrance. Nothing appeared to be wrong. There were no bodies, screaming, or panicking citizens evacuating. So it appeared as if at least for the moment, the city was safe. “Alright, Nick. Let’s head in. I’ve got your back.” The two made their way inside the city, and from the looks of it everything was fine. The local guards were still wandering around, and the local robotic vendor, KLEO, was still selling goods. “I know she’s a robot, but I still feel it’s unfair to have the poor girl working 24 hours a day.” 

“Don’t be. KLEO’s an assaultron. Someone may have modified her programming to give her personality a little kick, but she’d still be able to kill a person with the same amount of remorse you would feel for stepping on a bug.” As Nick and Piper made their way through the town they tried to make sure that nothing was amiss.

“Hey, Nicky. Where exactly are we going? Shouldn’t we be talking with the mayor if we’re going to warn them about this ghost thing?”

“We’ll talk to Hancock later. Right now we need to head to the Memory Den. I need to talk to check on someone first.” The two made their way inside The Memory Den, a building in which a person was said to be able to relive their memories. Nick Valentine, however, knew there was much more to this place. He’d been here before, almost a year ago, with the sole survivor. A woman from vault 111, who after that night, he never heard from again.

“Halt!” A voice said coming from inside the den. A voice that anybody in the Commonwealth knew all too well, it was the voice of a synth. Before Piper or Nick could even reach for their guns three synths rushed at them, laser pistols in hand. “Do not move.” One of the synths called out. “Any attempts to escape or resist will be met with lethal force. Please wait.”

A million thoughts raced through Piper’s head. This couldn’t be the end. She had so much to do. She had hoped that one day the Commonwealth could band together and stand against the Institute, but instead it did the exact opposite. They sided into various factions, and warred against each other, and it was in their moments of weakness that the Institute would strike out and eventually come to decimate each and every opponent that stood in their way. Her thoughts of her fight against these boogeymen quickly vanished, however, when she thought of her sister. Oh, Nat. Piper always knew the life of a reporter was a dangerous one, especially here in the Commonwealth, but she never actually thought that she would end up in a situation like this. “If I have one regret.” Piper thought to herself. “It would be allowing you to try following in my footsteps, to let you try to become a reporter like me. I never want you to be in this position ever. As long as you live.” 

As Piper dealt with her feeling of regret, Nick dealt with his own worries. For Nick knew that the Memory Den’s true purpose was not to let people relieve memories, but to erase the memories of synths who had escaped from the Institute and hoped to make a better life for themselves. Now that they’d been discovered he knew that his friends here were dead, and it was only a matter of time before both he and Piper would join them. In that instance he saw a figure coming from the basement. Was it a courser? No, it couldn’t be. It was. He recognized that platinum blonde hair anywhere. “Naomi! Go back to the basement! Run! It’s –“ Before the detective could finish his warning he was smacked in the face by one of the synths so hard that his hat fell off. Before the situation could escalate any further the woman coming from the basement approached the detective. Someone he had met a long time ago, the sole survivor. 

“Stand down.” The woman told the synths. “They’re with me. Secure the building, make sure all the exits are secured, and for the hundredth time. Lock the front door!” Naomi ordered, unable to disguise the anger in her voice. 

Piper shuddered. “No.” She thought to herself. “This couldn’t be Naomi.” The woman whom she had nicknamed “Blue” almost a year ago, in due part to her bright blue eyes, that sparkled with optimism, and hope. 

“Na-Naomi! Why would you do this? The Institute stole your kid, and now you’re working for them? What the hell is happening here?” Piper yelled.

“Working for them?” Naomi asked, a sly grin forming on her face. “I’m not working for the Institute, I’m their leader.”


	3. Reunion

“Well, as far as far as awkward reunions go. I think we just won first prize.” Valentine said picking up his hat. “But do you want to tell me why you did it then, Naomi? Why you decided to side with these boogeymen?”

“When we parted ways, over a year ago. I found a way into the Institute. I expected that I had entered one of the layers of hell from all the rumors I’d heard about it, but everything I was told was a lie. The Institute was, and remains to be a paradise. Completely safe from radiation, deathclaws, you name it!” Naomi replied. The joy in her voice was unmistakable, this was the happiest Nick or Piper had ever heard her. “The Institute. It’s not only a safe haven from the dangers of the wastes; it’s a scientific paradise! There are scientists of all fields working and living there! Engineers, Biologists, Physicists, you name it; the Institute has it!”

“Well, was it worth it? The countless lives lost between the Railroad, the brotherhood? All so some scientists could use the Commonwealth as some giant lab experiment?” 

“Don’t patronize me, Nick!” Naomi burst. The woman paused, and collected herself. “Everyone in the Commonwealth fears the Institute because of the kidnappings, the murders, these boogeyman stories. If something goes wrong, blame it on the Institute. Well tell me this, Nick. In the past half of a year, how many civilians have been killed by synths? Or kidnapped? Or even hurt as collateral in a battle?” 

“That doesn’t matter!” Piper suddenly interjected! “Any good choices you make don’t just cancel out all the bad shit you’ve done! God… How many people did you kill in the Railroad, Blu- Naomi?” Piper asked staring deep into the woman’s eyes. Noticing something was different. Those bright blue eyes she used to remember were gone. They were hazy, the luster they once had was gone. They looked dead. They looked as if they belonged to the eyes of… A ghost.

Naomi frowned. “I swear, Piper. Nick. I wasn’t involved with the destruction of the Railroad. By the time I had finally got into the Institute they were already gone. I never would’ve let that happen if I had joined sooner… If I had known… I could have stopped that massacre. It’s why I’m here now. Atoning for the Institute’s sins. I can’t reverse what they’ve done, but I can make sure it never happens again so long as I live.” 

Nick and Piper swapped glances. “And what about the Brotherhood of Steel?” Valentine said. “Nobody had more reason to hate them than me, but kill them all? Really? The only reason we’re even here right now is because I picked up a distress pulser off a squad of dead soldiers!”

“I’m not going to apologize for killing Nazis!” Naomi hissed. “Why does nobody remember their history? Especially now when it’s more relevant than ever! A want to be king declares war on entire races, indoctrinating youth, breeding a culture of hate and bigotry. No. I cut the head off the snake. There is no more ‘Brotherhood of Steel’ all that remains now are individuals with hate in their hearts fighting a war that ended a long time ago. The Brotherhood was only ever out for themselves! Did you even hear about what they used to do to small settlements?”

“You act so righteous, as you most likely just finished killing Dr. Amari and Irma. The same people who helped you discover a way into the Institute in the first place!” 

The anger on Naomi’s face quickly faded. “Did you not hear the bit about atonement that I said earlier? I swear sometimes when I talk I feel like nobody is even listening.” The sole survivor remarked. “Alright. Go downstairs, and tell me what you find. Whether you believe me or not… I’m doing everything in my power to make the Commonwealth a better place for everybody. Synths, humans, ghouls… for you.” Naomi said looking at Piper. “If you believe me. That I’m…good… approach the synths in Diamond City, tell them you need to talk to me, and I promise you that we will. But for now, we’re done here.” The blonde snapped her fingers, and a blue flash of light sparked from both her and the synths, and in an instant. They vanished. Leaving Piper and Valentine alone to come to terms with what they’d just faced. 

“C’mon, Piper.” The detective said urgently. “Before we talk, I need to check downstairs.”

Piper and Nick ran downstairs, keeping every thought of their encounter with the sole survivor to themselves. “Dr. Amari! Irma!” Nick called out. “Are you alright?” Before a response was possible the duo turned a corner to find two women sitting down with horrified looks on their faces. 

“Nick!” One of the ladies exclaimed. Running to embrace him. “What on Earth are you doing here?”

“We had reason to believe that Goodneighbor might potentially be in danger, and we came to warn everyone. But what happened? Are you two alright?”

“Yes, we’re fine. Thank goodness. We were just sleeping when we heard what sounded like an explosion coming from the lobby. We ran downstairs, and there was a small group of synths and a woman just appear out of nowhere. How could the Institute get in here without alerting any of the guards outside?”

“Teleportation.” The other woman replied. “If there was one factor that gave the Institute an edge, it was that. Not their endless supply of synths, or coursers, but teleportation. They’re capable of infiltrating anywhere they please. I just… Never expected them to actually show up here.” 

“How long did you know about this, Amari? Why didn’t you tell me anything about this?” Irma asked.

“Around a year ago, Nick and… that woman. They came here trying to find a way to get into the Institute. We used the memory loungers to relive the memories of one of the Institute’s most ruthless agents by using a cybernetic implant. God, if she managed to kill that man… That should’ve been a red flag. Then again, she never displayed any hate towards synths. She once even came in here a few days after we first met, asking me to help implant the consciousness of a robot into a synth. I never should’ve- I couldn’t have-“

“Don’t do this to yourself, Amari.” The detective replied. “Nobody could’ve known this would happened. Besides I stuck my neck out for her too.”

“If anyone’s to blame, it’s me.” Piper interjected. “If it wasn’t for me she never would’ve made it into Diamond City. Nobody saw the signs. The day we met I asked her for an interview. Apparently she was frozen in some cryogenic pod from over 200 years ago. I asked her what she thought of the world. Ever since the apocalypse.” Piper chuckled dryly, “And do you know what she said? She said seeing the world this way? It gave her hope, because despite all that’s happened, humanity has managed to hold on, and to rebuild. Nobody could’ve known that she’d join the Institute, doctor. Much less become the leader of it. Wait. Hold on a second. What did she want anyways?” 

“She told us about how the Institute had completely destroyed the Railroad. Killed all of its leaders, and even went so far as to blowing up their headquarters. She said that we need to stop our business, to stop aiding escaped synths and to lay low if we wished to avoid any danger.”

“That sounds more like concern than rage to me, doctor.” Valentine replied. “Y’know. She did say something about trying to make up for the loss of the Railroad. Maybe there’s more to this story here, but the only way we can find out is if we-“

“If we talk to Blue…” Piper interrupted. “Nicky. Lets go home. I need to get some rest, because I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a very long day.


	4. Naomi

“Gosh, Piper. You’re like an afterschool-special.” The blonde woman said, trying and inevitably failing to repress a chuckle.

“I literally have no idea what that means, blue, but I’m serious. Promise me?”

“Ok. Fine. I promise. I’ll never change, Piper.”

“This world we live in. It has a way of destroying those who manage to stay selfless, the people who keep hope and kindness in their heart despite all the cruel things that happen to them. Don’t let the Commonwealth change you.”

“I won’t, Piper. I already promised you.” The blonde said, completely unable to remove a huge smile from her face. Besides, I should be back in a day or two. You still have to keep your promise of taking me out for some noodles that robot with the chef hat makes!” 

“Saturday. At 6, blue. I’ll be waiting.”

“And, I’ll be looking forward to it.” Naomi replied cheerfully.

Piper woke up. It was already sunrise when the reporter finally got home, and Nat had left for school. So by now it was probably the afternoon. She got ready, and proceeded to start hunting for some answers. Valentine had headed off to Vault 81 in search of the robot that Naomi had apparently “turned into a synth.” Leaving it up to her to try to get an actual conversation in with the sole survivor herself. “God, these Gen I synths give me the creeps.” Piper thought to herself, as she approached one of the skeletal automatons near Arturo’s gun store. The reporter tapped the synth on the shoulder and waited for a response. 

“Please do not touch-“

“Oh, cut the crap, synth. I need to talk to Naomi. Right now!” The synth regarded her with its beady eyes and pointed to the All Faith’s Chapel. 

“She’s waiting.” The synth replied, and wandered off to continue its endless cycle of loitering through Diamond City. 

“Waiting?” Piper thought to herself, heading towards the ramshackle chapel. “This teleportation machine truly is a threat if anyone in the Institute could just appear in one of the most fortified settlements in the Commonwealth as they pleased.” Piper entered the chapel, and heard a voice that was all too familiar.

“The All Faiths Chapel. I like that. A place where a person or well, any sentience can put aside their differences, and stand together to better themselves and society as a whole. That’s what America was supposed to be all about, and look where we are now.” 

“I’m not here to talk politics or philosophy, Naomi. I want answers. Now.”

Naomi frowned. “Answers to what?”

“Why were Irma and Dr. Amari so mortified last night? What did you really tell them?”

“Really tell them? I warned them to stop trying to help escaped synths, or else one day the Institute would find out and would be a lot less polite than me.”

“Why are you referring to the Institute as them? I thought you were the one in charge?” Piper asked quizzically.

“Oh. I am, but… well... Look. I still have the final say in most decisions, but we have an entire division dedicated to hunting down rogue synths. That’s not a program you can just shut down overnight. I’ve faced resistance with every move I make in regards to shutting down that damned project. Everyone knows it’s only a matter of time before I shut the operation down, but if the SRB ever found out about the Memory Den, they would definitely send in a couple of coursers to destroy it.” Naomi sighed, and began rubbing her temples.

“You really do care. Don’t you?” The reporter asked hesitantly.

“Why doesn’t anybody understand?” Naomi asked. Tears began to swell in her eyes before muttering something to herself, but as quickly as it started the woman’s sadness suddenly turned to anger. “Do you see now, Piper? Everything I do. It’s to help the entire Commonwealth. I’m not just doing this solely for humans like the brotherhood wanted, and I’m not doing this solely to aid synths, disregarding human lives like the Railroad. I’m doing this for everybody!”

“Are you telling that to me? Or yourself, Naomi?” Piper paused. “Prove it to me then.”

“Prove what to you, Piper?”

“If you’re not the bad guy then show me. Show me exactly how you’re making the Commonwealth a better place. Prove to me that you really are making people’s lives better.”

“Really? And then what happens exactly?”

"If you can give me concrete evidence that the Institute is helping everyone, then I’ll write an article giving you my support. Then maybe, just maybe, someone might be able to wake up, see those Institute flags hanging over every large settlement in the Commonwealth, and not feel sick to their stomachs.” 

Naomi paused, and looked straight at Piper. Before the blonde had initially ran off to kill Kellogg, The reporter’s eyes used to light up whenever they looked at her. Now, however, all Naomi saw was disappointment. 

“Alright.” The blonde girl said. “Deal. Tomorrow morning at 8. I’ll be waiting.”

“I’m sure you will.” The reporter replied and proceeded to head out the door. 

“Hey, sis. Is everything alright? What happened last night?” 

“Yeah, Nat. Everything’s fine. Nick and I just investigated a possible threat in Goodneighbor. That’s all.” Piper replied. Setting her cap down on the living room table. 

“A threat? From who? The Institute?”

“Yes and no. I… Look, Nat. I’m exhausted. I didn’t really get to sleep properly, I’m going to bed early tonight, alright?”

“Alright, sis. Rest well.”

Piper sat down on her bed, and tried to come to terms with everything that had happened over the past day. “God. What happened to you, Naomi?” Piper thought to herself. “Changes like this. I don’t think these kinds of changes in a person just happen overnight. Or do they? Nobody wants to be a bad person. Life just… Life happens, but… What she did. Destroying the Brotherhood of Steel? Yeah, they weren’t exactly the epitome of human achievement, but they were only doing what they thought was right. Did they hurt her? She did lash out at us when we brought it up.” Piper laid down on her bed, and shut her eyes. “Tomorrow. I’ll find out. That’s what I do.”


	5. The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

It was especially cold and foggy this morning, and with the winter season just around the corner it was most likely going to stay cold for the rest of the day. Piper wrapped her arms around herself to brace from the cold, and took a seat near the giant gate securing Diamond City’s front entrance and waited. A few minutes later she could hear a familiar voice yelling out from the distance. 

“Oh, take a picture it’ll last longer, asshole!”

Recognizing the voice, Piper stood up and headed towards the direction the yelling came from. “Guards giving you a hard time?” She called out. Sure enough, a woman with platinum blonde hair, and dead hazy eyes could be seen turning around the corner. 

“Yes.” Naomi groaned. “The worst part about being the director of the Institute is that nobody knows who the fuck I am.” 

“You’re right. Nobody knows who you are anymore.” 

Naomi paused, giving the reporter a contemptuous look. “Are you coming with me or not?”

“Well that was the deal. Where are we heading anyways?”

“Graygarden. A small farming settlement to the east of here. Come on, it’s not far.” As the two girls began their trek, Piper tried to restrain herself. She was never particularly used to being quiet, and eventually she had to say something.

“We picked up a signal using a brotherhood distress pulser the other night. Heard one of the soldiers say something about a ghost. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but can you tell me of any ghosts you’ve heard of that can disintegrate people into piles of ash? “ Naomi laughed. 

“Can’t believe they’re still sticking with that. I’m the ghost. Those brotherhood assholes started calling me that because of my eyes, and because they think that I came back from the dead to hunt those sorry bastards down.”

“What… What exactly happened to them? I know for a fact they didn’t always look that way.” Naomi stopped in her tracks, and sighed.

“It was a few months after I joined up with the Institute… I was on salvage operation. Escort a small team of synths to recover some pre-war tech from a small bunker near Salem. Turned out a family of ghouls had made themselves a home in there. Not ferals, but people.” She said. “They weren’t making use of the equipment we needed so I asked for it, and sure enough they let us. We probably scared the hell out of them, but nothing happened… Until we were about to head back to the Institute that is.”

The blonde proceeded, “If you couldn’t tell, very few people actually know about our teleportation capabilities. So we sent the family outside and relayed the tech back to the Institute… I exited the bunker to call the family back inside, but apparently someone had informed the brotherhood that a family of ghouls managed to make a home for themselves there. When I walked outside there were brotherhood soldiers holding the family at gunpoint with their laser rifles.” Naomi let out a sob. “They weren’t raiders, or mercenaries, or even Institute synths! They were going to kill a family! A mother, a father, a child!” Naomi roared. “I told them to stop what they were doing! I told them how wrong it was. That in taking the lives of these people they weren’t helping humanity to progress, but were holding it back, but you know the brotherhood! Orders are orders! Whatever Elder Maxson says goes! So I stepped in front of the family to defend them, and told them that they’d have to go through me. Sure enough… They did.” 

Tears were now visible streaming down Naomi’s face. “One of the soldiers shot the mother instantly killing her… So I reached for my laser pistol and killed him… The leader turned to fire at me, but before he could I managed to take out the other one. It was just me and their leader now. He pushed me out of the way and shot at me as I fell to the ground. I guess he thought I’d been killed, but that laser blast didn’t get a direct hit; it just grazed me as I fell. You can probably guess where.” The woman said trying to force a smile through all the tears. “His prejudice for those ghouls made the family his sole focus and not me. I heard another laser blast, and the dying scream of the father, but I couldn’t see anything. My entire world had turned to black, but I had to do something. I couldn’t let him kill the kid. So I felt around for my pistol, and by some miracle I found it. I couldn’t see anything, but I fired anyways. Again, and again, and again. I knew I had hit the soldier, because I could hear the loud thud of his power-armored body collapsing to the floor… I called out for the kid. Desperate to see if he was still alive. He didn’t respond, but his sobs answered my question.” 

Naomi continued. “I reached into my bag, and called for assistance and waited. My partner, a courser, showed up. He helped me get back up on my feet, and I informed him that I’d lost my vision. He informed me that one of the soldiers; their captain was still alive, trying to crawl away. So I told my partner, X-6… Not to kill him, but to remove his helmet and guide me to the bigot so I could look him in the eyes. I couldn’t see anything, but I made no intentions of letting that monster know he’d wounded me, and I told him… I told him that that day, he had single-handedly decided the fate of the entire brotherhood of steel.” 

The blonde paused, and tried to collect herself. “Thanks to the power of Institute medicine they helped to restore my sight for the most part, but the scarred tissue from my ocular burns… they’re still… they’re why my eyes look the way they do, now.” The blonde turned, and faced Piper. “I know you might never forgive me for joining the Institute, but I promise you on my life, Piper. I would never hurt an innocent person. Ever.”

Piper stood there. Dumbstruck. She would’ve consoled the woman, hell. Maybe she should have, but Naomi… Her logic was broken. If she ever planned on genuinely becoming a better person. Then her judgments needed correction. “Blue.” Piper, said. Placing a hand on the blonde’s shoulder. “You can’t judge an entire demographic based on the actions of a few people. Whether you want to believe it or not, there were good people in the brotherhood, Naomi… And by hunting down every single remaining member, you’re no better than them, blue.”

“Blue.” Naomi thought to herself. “I haven’t heard her call me that in almost a year now.” She felt her heart stir a little. “I… I…” Naomi couldn’t think of a way to justify herself. Piper was right. The woman began hyperventilating. “I don’t kill good people.” Naomi argued with herself. “That’s not possib- No I don’t… I-“ Before she could continue her internal quarrel she realized something. The reporter was hugging her. 

Piper sighed. “Naomi. To really change the world you have to be kind. You start a cycle of compassion. Be nice to someone, and they’ll be nice back. It’s simple. Who knows maybe that person will even be nice to someone else who just spreads the cycle even further.” She said smiling. “You don’t need to embark on some crusade to make this world a better place. Just start small, and eventually. Everything will add up.”

“So… So you don’t think I’m a monster then? Some Institute boogeyman?”

“Blue, you’ve never been a monster. You just… Look. What’s done is done. If you want to show the Commonwealth that the Institute really is working for the benefit for all of humanity then show us.”

“I will” The blonde stammered. “Come on, Graygarden isn’t that far away.”


	6. Mutfruit

The rest of the walk to Graygarden was quiet. Piper figured she’d leave Naomi to think about the conversation they’d had earlier. “Alright, Piper. We’re here.” The blonde woman said matter-of-factly.

Graygarden was nothing special. The entire settlement consisted of nothing but a greenhouse and some mutfruit plants. The residents there weren’t even human! They were Mr. Handy robots, floating robotic butlers or servants that were used to complete all the jobs that humans wouldn’t want to do. 

“Isn’t it so cool?” Naomi asked excitedly. “They’re robot farmers! I mean. I have a Mr. Handy too, his name is Codsworth, known him since even before the war, but-“

“Blue. I’m glad to see you’ve found something that makes you happy here in the Commonwealth. Really I am. But when I said that the Institute needs to help people I meant. Well, people. Not robots that can just be programmed to act happy.”

Naomi looked at Piper and smiled. “Please, Ms. Reporter. Can you tell me exactly what these robots are doing?”

“They’re uh. They’re growing crops, and I assume you’re going to tell me that you’re going to deliver these crops to actual people. That’s nice, Naomi, but these robots have been here since before you even left your vault. How is the Institute involved with this?”

“Take a close look at those crops. What type of plant are the robots growing?”

“Um, mutfruit?” Asked the reporter, looking at the small purple fruit. 

“That’s a part of it, yes, but these mutfruits are … special…” Naomi replied.

“Ok, can you maybe explain that to me in a way that sounds well. Just a little less evil?” Naomi furrowed her eyebrows at Piper’s response. 

“These mutfruit. They’re transgenic! We’ve used biotechnology to genetically modify them! They taste better, they’re far more nutritious, and best of all. You can store them for up to a year without them decomposing! Once we start distributing them to the larger settlements like Diamond City or Bunker Hill then they’ll eventually get traded to other settlements and so on. Since the fruit have such a long shelf life, and since we intend to start growing them in mass quantities, we can essentially eliminate starvation fatalities for almost the entire Commonwealth!” Piper was genuinely surprised that the blonde hadn’t squealed with delight at the end of her explanation. 

“And there are no, side-effects? That sounds a little too good to be true.” Piper replied.

"No. These plants have been in development for years. They’re safe, Piper.” Naomi approached one of the fruits, and grabbed one taking a bite. Piper eyed the juices trickling down from the mutfruit in Naomi’s hands. “You want some?” The blonde asked extending out the freshly bitten fruit, smiling. Her eyes were hazy and damaged, as if she had a severe case of cataracts. But Piper was sure that beneath the haze, Naomi’s eyes were glistening.

“There she is.” The reporter thought to herself. “There’s the girl I met a year ago, the one who spent 30 minutes interrogating me about where the local robot chef gets his noodles from. The girl who spent an entire day trying to win a cake from a vending machine. We’re making progress.” Piper began to reach for the fruit, but was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot. 

“Director!” One of the robots called out. “You need to get to safety right now! We’re under attack!” 

Piper drew out her pistol and took cover inside the greenhouse with Naomi. The girls crouched against one of the interior walls, and the blonde reached into her bag. She retrieved what appeared to be some sort of small communication device. 

“X-6!” Naomi yelled, attempting to be heard over the sound of gunfire. “I need your assistance in Graygarden. Relay at least a dozen synths over as quickly as possible!”

Piper could hear the sound of bullets tearing through metal. The robots were getting destroyed. She could see the anger rising in the sole survivor, but before she could attempt to comment she was interrupted by loud cracking noises. It was the same noise Blue and her synths made when they relayed out of the Memory Den the other night. Their support was here. Piper poked her head through the doorway to get a glimpse of who was attacking the settlement. She easily recognized the haphazard outfits of their assailants. They were under attack by raiders. Naomi drew out a revolver that looked to be heavily modified, and exited the building and began her attack. The reporter contemplated getting involved in the firefight, but decided it would be safest to try to get in a few shots from inside the building. 

The raiders slowly began to get picked off until only a few remained, but before they were killed one of them had managed to throw a grenade. Piper jumped and ducked under one of the tables in the greenhouse as the explosion sounded off. There was a loud ringing in her ears, but as it slowly faded away she realized the battle had finished. Only there was still one person screaming. “Naomi!” 

The reporter ran from the building and found the blonde aiming her revolver at what appeared to be the last raider left alive from the attack. He was young, no more than sixteen years old, with a face covered in war paint. Naomi kicked him square in the chest knocking him down to the ground. Between the armor plating on her legs, and the Naomi’s sheer strength, Piper was sure that the boy’s ribs were cracked. 

“You raiders! You’re worse than the brotherhood! You think you can steal what you want or kill who you want just because you’re too lazy and stupid to do anything for yourselves!” The blonde yelled, rage clearly audible in her voice. “If I wasn’t busy handling more important things, I swear I would wipe all of you degenerates off the face of the Earth, and you would all deserve it!” She drew the revolver out and aimed it at the boy’s face.

“Blue!” Piper called out with desperation. “Don’t do this. He’s unarmed and he’s just a kid! You’re doing exactly what the brotherhood would do, Naomi. Let him go.”

“No. The brotherhood always believed in human exceptionalism. They kill anyone that’s nonhuman. Nobody chooses to become a ghoul. Nobody asks to be made a synth. These raiders though! They choose to rape, and murder, and steal to their heart’s content, and I’ll kill every one of those monsters for it.”

“Naomi! If you kill him then the only monster here will be you!” 

The blonde turned her head away from the boy and looked at Piper before turning her stare back to the raider. The reporter could still see the rage in the woman’s eyes. She had to do something now, or this boy was going to die. She slowly approached the blonde, and placed her hand on her shoulder. 

“Blue. Look at me blue.” Piper said, placing one of her hands on the side of the blonde’s jaw to guide the woman’s eyes into hers. “I know you’re hurt. I know you want justice, but this… This isn’t justice. This is an execution. Let him go.” Piper paused trying to let Naomi process what she had just said. “Remember what I said about kindness, Naomi? If you really want to change this world then show compassion. If you let him go we can tell him to go to Diamond City, and who knows. Maybe someday he’ll grow up and might even change the Commonwealth for the better in his own way.”

Naomi hesitated, and lowered her revolver. Tears began to form in her eyes. “Take this degenerate to the jail in Diamond City before I change my mind!” She yelled to a couple of synths. “If he tries to escape then finish what I started.” The blonde woman fell to her knees and picked up a branch from one of the mutfruit plants that had been destroyed by the grenade explosion. The blonde began crying as she held the remnants of the destroyed plant.

“I just wanted to help people… Why do people do things like this?” The blonde asked Piper in between sobs. 

“I don’t know, blue.” Piper said, proceeding to kneel down next to Naomi. “But when bad things like this happen. It’s our job to hold on to what’s right, and to stay true to our morals. I know how hard it was for you to let that raider go. I’m proud of-“ Piper was interrupted by Naomi rushing in for a hug, but something was wrong. “Blue why is your shoulder so wet?” Looking down she realized that the blonde had been shot. “Oh my god. We need to get you to a doctor. We need to head back to Diamond City right now.”

“No. I’ll… I trust my doctor in the Institute better. Go home, Piper… You know how to get in contact with me if you need me …” She waved for the courser to come closer. “X-6, please walk Piper home. If more raiders show up she’s going to need some backup.”

“Blue, I don’t-“ Before she could even finish her sentence Naomi and the few remaining synths were relayed back to the Institute leaving her and the courser alone. 

“You heard the director, ma’am.” X-6 commented “Let’s get you home.”


	7. The Walk Home

The walk back home was quiet and uneventful. Normally Piper would try to initiate a conversation to learn more about the person she was traveling with. This time, however, she was traveling with a courser. A synth built and trained for the sole purpose of hunting down and reclaiming escaped synths. She figured that a being who was designed specifically to stalk and kill wouldn’t want to talk, so it came to her surprise when the synth actually initiated a conversation. 

“She speaks very highly of you.”

“Who? Naomi?” Piper asked; still trying to comprehend the fact that she was having a conversation with the physical embodiment of everything the Commonwealth feared about the Institute. 

“The director, yes. She says you’re very resourceful.”

“Resourceful?” Naomi was smart, but that wasn’t typically an adjective she would use in an ordinary conversation. “Has she said anything else about me?” Piper asked? 

“I once overheard the director having a conversation amongst her friends in the Institute. She said, and I quote ‘She’s so beautiful that whenever she smiles I feel like I’m going to explode.’” X-6 said with a completely straight face. The synth stopped walking and looked at Piper. “I couldn’t hear a name, but I can only assume that she was talking about you.”

The reporter felt her cheeks warming up. “The synth couldn’t have made that up.” Piper thought to herself. “That really was Blue.” She remembered the woman who she had arranged to go on a date with over a year ago, a date that Naomi never showed up for. “No. I’m not going to fall for the director of the Institute. Maybe we can rekindle some sort of friendship at best, but this woman has done too much harm in her crusade to make the world a better place.” 

“That’s nice of her to say.” Piper replied to the synth as they continued their walk back to Diamond City. 

“While I advise against you blowing up the director, I think it would benefit the Institute if you proceeded to keep meeting up with the her.”

“Benefit the Institute? How?”

“The director hasn’t been operating at the proper efficiency levels as of late. I believe that between the stress of being director and her mental disability, she’s become overwhelmed. Ever since you two have started meeting up with each other, however, it’s become clearly evident that her mood is stabilizing. To put this into simple terms: A productive director makes a productive institute, and you make the director productive.”

Piper was unsure of how to properly respond. She was still trying to grasp the concept that Naomi was still in fact somehow attracted to her. “Um, alright. I guess I can do that… Wait disability? What disability?”

“That is what the director calls ‘a personal question.’ If you wish to know about it I suggest you ask her yourself.” Piper and the courser had arrived at the Diamond City gate. “I believe this is where we part ways, ma’am.” X-6 commented.

“Alright, um, thanks for the escort.” Piper said still in disbelief over the entire situation. She began her walk back to her house, but was interrupted by a voice. 

“Piper, I’ve got some info on that robot Dr. Amari was talking about the other night.” It was Nick. 

“Um, alright.” Piper responded as she turned to face the detective. “Let’s hear it.”

“I went down to Vault 81, y’know the only vault in the area with living inhabitants. It turns out Vault-Tec had some sort of plan to create a cure-all vaccine. An injection that would be able to cure just about any disease you could possibly think of. Unfortunately those scientists were among the type of people of believe that ‘the ends justify the means.’ Kind of like a certain someone we know. In order to create this vaccine they needed to test it against the very diseases it was made to cure, so they grew these viruses within mole rats. Well it turns out some kid living in the vault had managed to find these mole rats and became infected. He would’ve died if someone by the name of Naomi West didn’t get involved. She saved the kid by finding the cure. A cure developed by the very robot that Naomi had brought to the Dr. in Goodneighbor.”

“Alright, that makes sense. She probably took the robot down to the Institute as an asset to their little underground-community. But why did Blue implant its consciousness into a synth? That’s … Weird.” 

“I don’t know, Piper, but what I find ‘weird’ is the fact that you believed that some Institute goon would go of their way to help a kid. She easily could’ve just taken the cure to the Institute where they could replicate it, but she decided to give the only dose in existence to the kid to save his life.” Nick paused. “That doesn’t sound like the Naomi that we met back in Goodneighbor.”

“No. That sounds like our Naomi, Nick. I’ve been talking to her… She’s not bad, she just… She needs a moral compass. She’s been going through a lot, and I think it would be best if she had the support of her friends.” 

“Yeah, that’s all fine and dandy, Piper, but normal people don’t decide to destroy entire paramilitary operations when they’ve ‘been going through a lot.’” 

“She has her reasons, Nick. There’s no excuse for everything that she’s done, but I honestly think I can get our friend back if I intervene right now.”

The detective sighed. “Alright, Piper. If you honestly believe you can help Naomi then do it. In the mean time I’m going to go check up on Ellie then I'm heading out to Goodneighbor to figure out why that robot wanted to become a synth.”

“You don’t have to do that, Nick. I’ll just ask blue myself, but before you head out can you tell me the name of that doctor-robot so Naomi will know who I’m talking about?”

Nick waved goodbye and responded as he walked back to his home. “Curie. The robot’s name was Curie.”


	8. Nat

“Mademoiselle. You cannot hide this from me. You like that reporter. You aren’t fooling anyone. Now please stop squirming so I can stitch you up properly! I swear, sometimes I feel like you try to get yourself shot.“ 

“Curie, I don’t like her like that, ok? I just. I enjoy being around Piper. Maybe one day the two of us will be friends again. That’s all.” Naomi replied. 

“Oh? Friends like me? Or Isabel? Or Ada? Because whenever you say our names you don’t blush.” Curie quipped as she proceeded to sew up the bullet wound Naomi had received. 

“Yes. Curie. Just friends.” Naomi replied. “Besides. Maybe I like someone else.” 

“Oh? You finally fell for one of the many Commonwealth girls who throw themselves at your feet, yes?” Curie remarked sarcastically. 

“I come here to get a bullet wound patched up only to get another one shot directly at my ego. Thank you.” Naomi remarked as she began to stand up. 

“Ada and Isabel would both agree with me, and you know it. Now please go back to your quarters, and get some rest.”

“Alright, Curie, and thanks for patching me up.” Naomi replied, proceeding to exit the Institute’s infirmary. 

X

X

X

“Piper! Will you finally tell me what you’ve been doing these past couple days?” Nat asked her sister as she sat on her bed; desperate to finally get some answers from her sister. 

“I’ve just been trying to see what the Institute has been up too, Nat.”

“And? What do you think they’re planning? Do you think they want to destroy all of Diamond City? Or maybe abduct the mayor and replace him with a synth! Or –“ 

“Nothing, Nat. I think things might finally be settling down for once.”

Nat glared at her sister with suspicion. “Are you really Piper? Or are you a synth? Because my sister would never be happy living under the Institute!” 

“No, Nat… I mean it. I just… Well… Do you remember blue?”

“Ms. Lady? Yeah, I remember her. I liked her! Why did you find her? Or did the Institute kill her?”

“No… Apparently Naomi is actually in charge of the Institute. “

Nat’s facial expression changed from one of intrigue to one of disgust. “No, that couldn’t have been, Naomi. She was too nice! I bet the person you’re thinking of was actually just a synth made to replace her! She would never join the Institute!”

Piper took a seat down next to her sister and wrapped an arm around her. “It was Naomi. It really was blue, Nat.”

Nat paused. “What are you going to do? What are we going to do, Piper?” She asked.

“Blue, she’s… She’s not bad she’s just misguided… But I’m going to try getting her back. With the Institute’s resources I think that maybe she actually can manage to do some good.” Piper could tell that this was a lot for her sister to take in. Before she disappeared Naomi had been in and out of Diamond City, but every time she showed up she would always come back with some sort of souvenir or treat for Nat. It was just another one of those little idiosyncrasies that made her fall for the blonde woman in the first place.

“And how do you feel, Piper? I know you two had a date before she disappeared. Did she ever tell you why she never showed up?”

Piper hesitated. She had been so busy trying to learn more about what happened to Naomi that she never bothered to ask. “I’m… I’m fine, Nat. It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m not going to date someone who is with the Institute.” Piper replied with determination, realizing she was talking more to herself than her sister at this point. 

“Alright, Piper. Please get her back, ok? I miss her.” Nat said, covering herself with her blanket.

“I miss blue too, Nat. I miss her too.” Piper kissed her sister on the cheek, and proceeded to head upstairs to lay down. The reporter tried to fall asleep but had no success. “Why didn’t blue show up to our date?” Piper thought to herself. “Actually, where did she go? She just sort of disappeared after that final talk we had about meeting up for dinner. Wait! All this business at the Memory Den… It happened after we were going to go out.” Piper realized. “I could just ask her where she went, but… No. Our meet ups are strictly professional. The past is the past.” Before she could fall asleep, however, Piper’s curiosity had gotten the best of her. “Alright. I won’t bring this up to blue, but Valentine knows what happened. First thing tomorrow morning I’ll ask him what happened at the Memory Den. He owes me for waking Nat and I up in the middle of night anyways.”


	9. Making Up

“Nat, I’ll be back later. I’m heading over to Nicky’s to go ask him some questions. Have a good day at school, kiddo.”

“Alright, sis. See you later.” 

Piper opened the door to begin her day, but jumped back in surprise as she immediately came face to neck with a girl possessing dead blue eyes.

“Oh, jeez, blue. You startled me!” Piper commented in shock. “Wait. What are you doing here?” 

The blonde chuckled at the reporter’s reaction. “I um. I just got here. I wanted to tell you about this project that I‘ve had the scientists in the Institute working on, and I thought that maybe we can discuss it over breakfast?” The blonde asked shyly. “I mean, only if you want too. I understand if you don’t. I just figure… Well… We haven’t talked in awhile, and maybe we could catch up before we talk business?” Naomi was clearly blushing now.

“How?” Piper thought to herself. “Could a person in charge of one of the most dangerous factions of the Commonwealth manage to be so adorable?” If Naomi would’ve asked Piper out for breakfast a year ago she would’ve said yes in a heartbeat, but not now. Not anymore. “Blue’s still in there, but she’s… she’s a ghost. She’s lost her compassion. The old Naomi would never even think about aiming a gun at an unarmed person, but if it weren’t for me she actually would’ve killed him. Is that the type of person I want around Nat? This woman is dangerous.”

“Blue…” Piper said aloud. “What do you really want from me? Why are you doing this? You know damn well that you don’t need my approval to carry on with your Institute business! So why are you here? Huh? You show up into my life, making me think I’d found someone who actually cared about the Commonwealth as much as I do. You won over the hearts of Nick, of Nat, of me, and then you just vanish for a year without a word?” Piper shouted, tears now swelling up in her eyes. “That’s not fair, and you know it! Where did you even go for all of that time? We needed you!” The reporter said wiping a tear from her face. “The entire Commonwealth was in chaos while you were off running errands for those!... For those!...”

“For Sean…” Naomi replied. 

Piper’s anger subsided, now replaced only with hurt and confusion. “Sean? Isn’t that your son? You found him after all?” 

“Yes. Ironically enough our roles were reversed. When I first arrived at the Institute it turned out he was the acting director, but…” The woman began to cry.

“But, what Naomi?” The shorter girl asked hesitantly. 

“He had cancer. He died a couple of months after we found each other. I didn’t want to abandon you, or Nat, or Nick… But I had to stay for Sean… He was dying. i had to learn to accept the fact that every time we saw each other would be our last. So we made every day count. I couldn’t leave the Institute. What if I left one day, and he had passed away while I was gone? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Do you know what it’s like, Piper?” The woman asked, her voice full of pain and anger. “ Do you know what it’s like to watch someone you love slowly whither away day by day? Even before the war a death like this was unnecessarily cruel, but to have your own child stolen from you? Going through hell to find him. Only so he can get killed by some disease?” Naomi continued to sob.

Piper wrapped her arms around the blonde, drawing Naomi’s head closer to her own shoulder. “Oh, blue…” Piper gently said, as she hugged the distressed woman. The two girls felt another set of arms gently wrapping around them. The reporter looked down and saw the pair of arms had belonged to her little sister. Nat had been listening to their entire conversation. 

“I was fighting so hard to hold on to Sean everything else became irrelevant.” Naomi remarked.

“Blue… You had a family… you have a family.”

The blonde woman wiped the tears from her eyes. “Really?”

“Yes, but I’m not talking to ‘the ghost,’ Naomi. I’m not talking to the woman that nearly killed a man in anger. I’m talking to the blue that showed up here over a year ago and told me about the hope that you felt when you saw this place, the woman who couldn’t even bring herself to shoot a radroach. Do you understand? Prove to us that you’re using your new position responsibly. Prove to me that my friend is still in there.”

Naomi smiled as she looked down at the reporter. “Just friends, huh?” She replied, letting out a chuckle. 

Piper gently punched the blonde in the shoulder. “Yes, blue. Friends. Now c’mon, we’ll go to Vadim’s place and you can tell me all about this new project you’ve been working on.”

“Alright, Piper. Let’s go.”


	10. Breakfast at Vadim's

When Naomi had asked Piper to go out for breakfast, she had originally intended to have a picnic. She had even asked Curie to help her pack some institute food packets and lemonade just for this occasion. The two girls would sit near Diamond City’s water purifier so they could have some privacy and talk freely. So Naomi couldn't come up with a single reason as to why Piper would even think about going to a bar, especially for breakfast.

As the director of the Institute it would be considered very unwise to draw a lot of attention to herself. If anybody ever got word of whom she was then she would never be safe again outside of the sanctuary of the Institute. Despite all the rumors to the contrary Brotherhood and Railroad remnants were still around, and they would go to great lengths to kill the woman who was in charge of the very group that caused their destruction in the first place. So going to one of the favorite destinations of explorers and traders was not the best idea.

Before the war Naomi had taken great pride in her appearance. Between her alluring smile and extremely tall stature, Naomi was the perfect candidate to become a model. Now, however, her looks made her stand out even more than they did before the war. Most of the residents of Diamond City were older and had settled into a civilian lifestyle after years of trying to make homes for themselves in the elusive city, so just walking though the streets turned a couple of heads. If even one trader in the bar had managed to get a glimpse of her eyes then her identity as “the ghost” would be compromised. 

She wanted to ask Piper to go on a picnic instead, but the reporter looked genuinely happy. “I’m just being paranoid.” Naomi thought to herself. “Nobody will recognize me. No civilians should even know about that stupid codename. I’ll be fine, and… I owe this to Piper. I’ve put her and Nick through so much… I’ll start making things right.”

“After you, Ms. West.” Piper said as she held the door that lead to Vadim’s bar.

“I’ll be fine.” Naomi repeated to herself. “Nobody will see me. It’ll all be ok. I’m doing this for Piper.” Nobody will recognize me.” She smiled nervously and proceeded to step into the bar.

X

X

X

“Ha-Ha-Ha!” Burst the Russian man behind the bar’s main counter. “Yefim, get my shotgun! The Ghost has finally come to kill us!” Nearly every person in the bar had turned to stare at the two girls as they made their way into the building.

Naomi’s heart nearly erupted from her chest. “No no no. This can’t be happening.” She thought to herself. She had to defend herself, but she couldn’t just shoot the bartender, especially not with Piper here. She needed something or someone to defend her. Everyone in Diamond City had always thought Piper Wright could be a little too paranoid or even downright annoying, but everyone knew that everything she did was to protect her town and the people in it. Instinctively, Naomi had reached for the reporter’s hand in an attempt for her to say something, if Piper had trusted someone then everyone would know they couldn’t possibly involved with the Institute.

“Whoah, there! Blu - Blue what are you doing?” Piper asked, her cheeks turning bright red.

Before Naomi could respond the man behind the counter continued. “Oh, I am kidding! I am kidding! There is no need to act so worried! No Institute killing machine could ever infiltrate this city without your lady-friend there knowing about it.” The man said grinning. Clearly noticing that the two girls were holding hands. 

“No!” Piper interjected. Her cheeks still a brighter shade of red than her coat. “We’re uh, we’re not dating. No.” The reporter let go of the taller woman’s hand. “You just, uh. Scared blue. She doesn’t get out much.”

“Blue? You call her this because of her eyes, yes? Wait! Tell me! Tell me! What happened to them anyways?” The Russian asked with curiosity. 

Naomi turned to look at the reporter, eyes full of desperation. 

“Oh, um… Surgery gone wrong! She wanted to change her eye color at Doc Crocker’s, but you know how things go with him sometimes!” The reporter chuckled nervously. 

“Yes! I would not trust that man to cut my hair! Well you have learned your lesson, and we will drink to this! On me!” The man said lifting his beer. 

As the two girls sat down Piper had noticed that everybody in the bar had gone back to focusing their attention to their own conversations and activities, but blue still looked nervous. 

“Naomi, you’re safe here.” The reporter said. “Vadim is very… eccentric, but he’s a good man. Besides, if anybody tried to hurt you they’d have to go through me.” Piper said in an attempt to cheer the blonde woman up. “Come on, you have to try the mirelurk egg-omelette, it’s delicious!” 

Naomi tried to force herself to smile, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. “Um…how have things been, Piper?” The blonde asked nervously. 

“Well, besides the whole fiasco we’ve been through these past couple days everything has been sort of quiet for the most part. Well, except for the printing press in my house. That thing has been everything but quiet lately.”

“It’s broken? If you want I can relay in one of my engineers or mechanics to fix it up for you?” The blonde offered quietly. 

Piper smiled. “Thank you, blue, but as fun as having one of your um. Employees wandering through my house is, I’m going to have to say no. I ‘ll just hire a normal mechanic here from Diamond City. I just need to raise the caps to for one, and unfortunately it doesn't come cheap.” 

“Then I’ll help you raise the caps! We can do it together!” Naomi replied enthusiastically. 

Before the reporter could a respond they were approached by a man dressed in combat armor, clearly he was some sort of mercenary. 

“You there. We need to have a conversation.” The man called with a particularly raspy voice. Naomi turned to face the stranger. He was a ghoul! 

“Do I know you?” The blonde asked. 

“No, but you look like someone who knows how to handle themselves in particularly… dangerous situations.” 

“Only if it pays well enough.” The blonde said, turning to waggle her eyebrows at the reporter. 

“You’ll be well paid. That I can promise. Before I give you any specific details of what you’ll be doing though you’re gonna have to talk to my boss. His name is Jack Cabot. He’s always been very keen on personally interviewing each and every person he hires. Just head over to the Cabot House In Beacon Hill, and I’ll let him know you’re coming.” The ghoul proceeded to shake Naomi’s hand. “I’m Edward Deegan, by the way. I look forward to working with you.” 

As the mercenary walked away, Naomi smiled at Piper proudly. “Blue! You didn’t have to do that! And besides, what if this Jack guy asks you to kill someone? Mercenary work typically doesn’t involve putting out fires or rescuing kittens out of trees.”

“Then we walk away. C’mon, Piper. Let me do this for you. I owe you.” The reporter hesitated before she finally came to a decision.

“Alright, fine. Tomorrow then. Let me just tell Nat that I might be gone for a couple of days, alright?”

“Alright… Now please, let’s eat something, I’m starving!”


	11. The Cabot House

The next morning Piper Wright awoke with feelings of both excitement and fear. She had been in more than her fair share of dangerous situations before, it was one of the many occupational hazards of being a journalist in the Commonwealth, but this time it was different. Her usual escapades consisted of rescue missions with Nick, or interviewing settlers who lived in areas known to be under constant threat from raiders and at one time the Institute. Today, however, she was possibly going to put her own life at risk for some caps. 

Unlike most of the reporter’s previous adventures, today was going to be different in another way. She was going with Naomi. If a weeks ago somebody were to tell her that she was willingly going to start spending time with a member of the Institute the reporter would laugh and say she’d rather shoot her own foot. Now, however, she was actually looking forward to it. 

“Piper!” Nat called. “If you’re going to Bunker Hill can you bring me back a souvenir?” 

“We’re not going to Bunker Hill, we’re going to Beacon Hill, but I’ll ask Blue if we can stop over there on the way back home.” 

“Ok, Piper. Have fun with your girlfriend. I’ll see you in a couple of days.” Nat replied cheerfully.

“Nat! Blue isn’t my girlfriend! This is just business like usual. We’re just going to try to raise some caps to fix the printing press. That’s all.” 

“Then why are you blushing so much? And why are you calling her blue again?” Nat asked smugly.

The reporter felt her cheeks warming up. “It’s cause, uh, it’s hot in here, Nat. I don’t like people who work with the Institute even if they really are the good guys now. I’m just calling her blue so she remembers what she used to have before she ran off.” Piper wiped her brow. “Yeah, that’s a good response.” She thought to herself. “Now, I gotta go, blue, I mean – Naomi is probably already waiting for me outside, I’ll see you soon, Nat.” 

The young girl chuckled at Piper’s embarrassment “I’ll see you soon, sis.”

X

X

X

“So, Naomi. I’ve been meaning to ask you. You ever been to Vault 81 before?” Piper asked during their trek to the ‘Cabot House.’ She still needed to inform Nick about this robot-doctor, and quite frankly she was curious about it too. 

“Uh, yeah. Around a year ago, why?” Naomi asked. 

“Well, my sources tell me that you single-handedly saved the entire vault. Is any of that true?”

Naomi chuckled. “I wish I was a hero. No. I found the cure, and delivered it to save some kid’s life. It was the only vial, and I had to use it to cure him. God, I wish I had more time. If I managed to get the cure back to the Institute to replicate it odds are we could’ve said goodbye to the common cold, the flu, and…” Naomi’s voice began to crack.

“And what?” Piper asked more out of concern than curiosity.

“And cancer.” The blonde said. As she proceeded to walk, refusing to look Piper in the eye.

“Oh, blue.” Piper commented sadly. “I’m sorry, I –“ 

“No. No, I need to start getting over this.” Naomi interjected. “It’s fine. I um… I’m not even the one who made the cure, Curie did.”

“Curie?” Piper asked. “Can I ask who that is?”

“Yeah. Um. She’s my friend. She was trapped in some hidden medical facility in the vault for the same amount of time I was frozen. I guess having 200 years of free time gives you a lot of time to be productive.”

“Trapped for 200 years? Is she a ghoul?” Piper asked, trying to ensure that Naomi didn’t catch on to the fact that Nick had already told her this story. 

“No. Curie’s a robot, well, she’s a synth now but… Yeah.” The blonde replied, chuckling at her own awkwardness. 

“Why and how does a robot ‘become a synth?”’ Piper asked, finally getting to the question she’d wanted answered for the past couple of days. 

“Curie is a scientist, and a doctor. She was programmed that way, but one of the important things to remember about scientists is the fact that they want to learn about the way things work, they want to create, and they want to revolutionize the way we observe the universe around us. Curie was trapped inside a robot’s body, which is limiting. Don’t get me wrong, robots nowadays can do a lot. My Mr. Handy, Codsworth, he’s a member of the family. He’s more than just a machine, but he’s still not exactly human. So the two of us went to Dr. Amari’s. We managed to upload her consciousness into a synth, and now she’s practically human. She can become inspired, and create, and more.” Naomi replied, happily. 

“Wow, blue. That really is remarkable. It sounds like something out of a fantasy novel.”

Naomi turned and glared at the shorter woman. “Not fantasy, science fiction. There’s a difference.” The blonde replied as she continued to walk.

“Whoah there, Naomi. Sorry, I guess I struck a nerve there.” Piper replied with a chuckle.

“I’m sorry, Piper. It’s just a pet peeve of mine. I’m a huge nerd.” The blonde replied.

“Oh, really? I didn’t notice.” Piper replied sarcastically. “Why is it such a big deal though? I mean, aren’t fantasy and sci-fi mostly the same thing?”

The taller woman turned to glare at the reporter again. “No, Piper. They’re not.” She replied with a sigh. “Look, I fell in love with science fiction because it’s escapism. It’s all so wonderful and fantastic, for the most part the good guys almost always win, or even when they lose they always have hope. Yeah, that’s a big part of fantasy too, but the thing is science-fiction has the word ‘science’ in it for a reason.” The blonde wasn’t looking at Piper as she walked, but from the tone of her voice, she could tell that the blonde was smiling. “Sci-fi gives us a glimpse of what we could become, for better or worse. Whether it be from shows like Captain Cosmos, comic books, or whatever. The genre is just so important, because it sets the standard for what humanity could achieve if we just all worked together!” Naomi smiled at Piper. “I’m sorry for ranting… I’m just really passionate about this.” 

“No, blue.” Piper replied supportively. “This is good, you need this. If this is what makes you so happy and optimistic then you hang onto it. It’s one of the main reasons I started liking you in the first place-“ Piper stopped herself. “Oh my god.” The reporter thought to herself. “I didn’t just say that out loud did I?” 

“You… You like me?” Naomi asked, shyly. 

“I… uh… Yeah, blue. You were a good friend.” 

“A friend that you like?” The blonde replied with an enormous grin on her face.

“I like you as a friend, Naomi. I mean, I mean… I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like you, I mean –“ Piper stopped herself. “Oh, look. It looks like we’ve found the Cabot House!” She replied pointing to a large, ominous looking building. 

The house was very unorthodox in the fact that despite being surrounded by homes that been damaged or worn down, this building remained perfectly intact. The blonde woman paused, checking the map on her pip-boy, before turning to face the reporter. “Yeah, this is the place, alright. Let’s head inside then. Oh, and Piper?” 

“Uh, yeah, blue?” The reporter asked, attempting to regain her composure.

“For the record. I like you too.” And before the reporter could even muster a response, the blonde entered the building.


	12. Jack Cabot: Scientist, Archeologist, Ancient Alien Theorist

“Ok, Blue you can’t just tell me that you like me, and then just walk off like that!” Piper scolded the blonde as she began walking into the Cabot House. “We really need to-“ Before she could finish she realized two things. First of all, Naomi was already talking to someone. It was that strange ghoul they had met back in Diamond City yesterday, Edward Deegan. Secondly, this house was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Every building she had ever been inside was either irreparably damaged or built post-war, meaning they weren’t exactly the most luxurious of places to live or visit. This house, however, it was incredible. Piper felt like she had just entered a time machine and had traveled back into a time before the great-war had taken place. 

The house was in perfect condition. There were no holes in the roof, or damaged windows, or makeshift furniture; the place was absolutely gorgeous. It even had working lighting! Before Piper could finish admiring the building she heard Naomi call her. “C’mon, Piper. Deegan said we should wait on the couch while we wait for Jack to finish up his experiment.”

The two girls sat down as they waited promptly for their host to make his entrance. Piper restrained herself from bringing up their previous conversation in fear that they would be interrupted so she tried to start up a conversation to fill the silence. “This place sure is gorgeous isn’t it, blue?” 

“Yeah, it kind of reminds me of someone I know.” Naomi replied with a light chuckle. 

“Ok, Naomi. We really need to talk-“ A loud explosion could be heard coming from one of the upper rooms. “Will I ever be able to finish a sentence?” Piper asked dryly. 

“Damn, I clearly need to adjust the mixture.” Came a voice from upstairs. A few moments later a man wearing a lab coat entered the room. “Hello, hello! Welcome to Cabot House. I’m Jack Cabot.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jack.” Naomi replied enthusiastically. Clearly noticing the fact that this man was some sort of scientist. 

“And it is a pleasure to meet you two as well! Edward finds it tiresome, but I always like to know personally everyone who works for me.” The man commented as he adjusted his glasses. “Now before we get down to business, I have a question I like to ask all my new employees.”

Deegan frowned and turned to Jack. “Are you sure this is really the time for-“

“Don’t interrupt, Edward.” The scientist interjected not even turning to face the ghoul. “My question is this: do you believe there is other intelligent life in the universe?” 

Piper had noticed that Naomi had a huge grin on her face. In fact, she knew that the blonde would be practically giggling right now if she weren’t trying to keep professional.

“Of course!” The blonde burst. “There’s just so much evidence to it, I mean look at things like the drake equation! Or just take a look up at the night sky and see all the stars! I think the proper question is ‘how much life is out in the universe?’” She replied. “I mean, it doesn’t matter if the only other life we find out there is an amoeba that lives on some asteroid halfway across the universe, but if we find one then it means that we aren’t alone in the universe!”

Jack smiled and eagerly responded. “Wonderful! Most people’s minds are too narrow to admit the possibilities of an infinite universe.”

“I know right?” Naomi responded. “And we’re just talking about our strictly observable universe. Who’s to say that extraterrestrial life can’t be found in other dimensions? We could spend centuries looking for life in all the wrong places!”

“Exactly! Most astronomers only used to search for life where they could find water, but look at the archaea and extremophiles that have evolved here on our own planet. I understand why we assume life can only be carbon based, but if we discovered extraterrestrial life that was, say, silicon-based. Well, it would revolutionize the entire field of biology as we know it!” 

Piper was absolutely lost. She was glad to see that Naomi was enjoying herself, but this man was very… eccentric, and she just couldn’t shake the fact that he was probably on drugs. “Um, are you talking about aliens like, those monsters from outer space?” The reporter asked.

Jack turned and scowled at Piper. “I’m not talking about flying saucers and little green men. I’m talking about the hidden history of our planet, the very origins of human civilization. Ancient powers that modern science even at its pinnacle, could barely begin to comprehend.“

“Yup.” Piper thought to herself. “This guy is definitely on drugs.” Before she could make any sort of response, Naomi jumped back into the conversation. 

“I’ve always found the idea of ancient aliens to be so fascinating!” The blonde replied giddily. “I would love to believe in the idea, but when it comes to topics like aliens building the pyramids or temples or whatever, well. I just can’t buy into that. Back in college I took a lot of architecture classes and we learned all about how these structures were actually made or theorized to be made. ‘Never underestimate the powers of human ingenuity!’ My professor used to say! Unlike most people, however, I am willing to be open to the idea of some sort of alien civilization taking part in our history.” 

During the entire conversation Jack had appeared to be very excited, but now he looked almost bewildered. “Did you say college?” 

“Uh, yeah. I… it’s a long story. But go on!”

Jack hesitated before he started to speak again. “My father excavated a city in the Hub’al Khali in Arabia which he dated to be more than 4,000 years before the rise of any known human civilization. The structures and artifacts were… strange. Disturbing even. Clearly not constructed by or for humans. I’ve spent my life trying to decipher what he uncovered.”

“Jack, can I tell her what I need her to do?” The ghoul asked, clearly as bored with the conversation as Piper was.

“I’m sorry, Edward. I just get carried away sometimes.” The man turned to Naomi and smiled. “We’ll talk about this more another time, when things are less rushed. It isn’t important now. Welcome to the family!”

“Oh thank god.” Piper thought to herself. “I thought that would never end.”

“Okay. You’re officially hired. Congratulations.” Edward commented in a monotone voice. Unexpectedly the ghoul turned to look at Piper. “It’s best to keep an open mind. Jack may be eccentric but he’s definitely not crazy. Now.” He said, clasping his hands together. “Let’s talk business.”

X

X

X

“Ok, so we recover the package, bring it back to Jack, and we get the caps. Right?” Piper asked the blonde as they exited the building. 

“Yup. It’s that simple.” Naomi replied happily. “Then you can fix up your printing press.”

The reporter stopped in her tracks. “I appreciate this, blue. Really, I do, but… We need to talk. Now.”


	13. Catastrophe

“What’s wrong, Piper?” Naomi asked.

“This is, blue. What you’re trying to do. It can’t happen.”

“You don’t want me to help you fix your printing press?” The woman asked with a frown. 

“No, I mean – Look. The flirting, you doing me this favor, Naomi… This can’t work out.”

The blonde paused before responding. “I’m just trying to help, Piper. I –“

“No, Naomi. Stop it. You told me you liked me, and I’m sorry, but this just can’t work out.”

“But… You said you liked me too?”

“No, Naomi. I said I liked you. I liked who you used to be. We can be friends, Naomi, but you threw away any chance that we had together when you ran off to join the Institute. You can justify your actions all you want, but the truth is that you still spilled a lot of blood to get where you are today!”

“You know why I did everything that I had to do! I’m just trying to help the Commonwealth for the long-term!”

“You could’ve done that with us, Naomi! With Me! With Nick! You didn’t need to join some evil scientists to make the world a better place! Why didn’t you come back?” Piper yelled, her voice cracking. “You had half of a year after Sean passed away to come back with us and you didn’t! You decided that wiping out the brotherhood was more important than coming back to us!”

“I told you! I couldn’t keep living my life with my head buried in the ground, knowing full well that Nazis had free reign of the Commonwealth! I had to do something!" 

“The brotherhood aren’t Nazis, Naomi! Just because you encountered those animals doesn’t mean the entire group was-“

“Yes they are!” Naomi hissed. “You never saw the way they fought! Or heard all the things they used to say! Well, guess what, Piper? You will now! The brotherhood of steel always condemned the railroad for all of their guerilla warfare tactics, but do you know what? The tables have turned, and I’m willing to bet my life on the fact that they’re willing to spill more blood to get revenge than I spilt trying to prevent them from even getting the idea in the first place!”

Piper took a deep breath trying to suppress her anger. “I’ve spent my entire life living in fear of the Institute, Naomi. I used to spend nights trying to comfort Nat, because she was afraid that you people were going to take her! And now, what do you want me to do? Put aside years of fear, just because their leader has a crush on me?” She yelled. 

“I’m doing everything in my power to correct their mistakes! You know me, Piper!”

“The Naomi I knew wasn’t a killer!”

“I was killing monsters! Are you going to get angry at me for killing deathclaws too?” The blonde asked, angrily. 

The reporter hesitated. “I’m writing you your article once we recover this package. I’ll write an objective article explaining how the Institute has been seen trying to protect small settlements and caravans from raider attacks. Then I never want to see your face again.” 

Naomi froze, trying her best not to cry. “I’m not the bad guy, Piper. The Institute isn’t operated the way it used to be. We’re the good guys now. I’m the good guy, here.” Naomi commented in the steadiest voice she could muster.

“Tell that to all of the people you killed.” Piper hissed. “Now let’s go get this stupid package so I can go home.” 

X

X

X

 

“This is the place.” Naomi commented as she turned her pip-boy off. Evidently the mysterious package was inside what seemed to be an abandoned building. “Alright, Piper. I’ll head in first. Then you cover me while I-“

“No.” Piper replied, dryly. “This isn’t my first time clearing out a building. You just secure the area, and let me get the package.” Before Naomi could muster a response the reporter drew out her pistol and entered the building.

Piper entered the building, but was taken by surprise to hear a voice call to her. 

“Halt!”

Piper turned to face the voice, only to find that it had come from a man wearing power armor. It was a member of the brotherhood of steel! 

“This area is under occupation of the brotherhood of steel, ma’am. Please leave the premise at once.” The man replied, lowering his laser rifle.

“Uh, I’m just here to recover a lost package. Mind if I take a look around?” 

The soldier shook his head. “Negative, ma’am. All inventory within this building are not under the-“ Before he could finish he raised his weapon, aiming it at the door which Piper had entered from. The reporter turned only to find that Naomi had just entered the building, and had drawn out her revolver. 

“You!” The soldier called out menacingly. “Come closer. I need to get a closer look at you. Now!” 

“No, thanks.” The blonde replied, angrily. “But if you’d like, I can give you a closer look down the barrel of my gun. Want to see?”

The knight took a few steps closer to Naomi and started to yell. “You’re the ghost! You’ve killed dozens of my brothers and sisters! You are guilty of-“

“Guilty of letting you rant this long.” The blonde replied, aiming directly at the knight’s face. 

“Both of you stop!” Piper interjected, suddenly realizing that she had instinctively jumped in front of Naomi. “Blue, let’s just go. He’s not worth it.”

“Get out of the way, ma’am. You’re protecting a member of the Institute! A war criminal, and – “ 

“I know.” Piper responded calmly. “And I’m not moving so lower your gun.” Before she could say anything else she heard the blast of a laser rifle, and felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. The reporter collapsed to the floor, observing helplessly as Naomi had taken two laser blasts to the chest and stomach, before shooting at the knight square in the face, his helmeted skull ruptured as if the blonde had shot at a watermelon. 

Naomi, chuckled, and coughed up drops of blood, before she fell to her knees, to check on the reporter. 

“Piper! You’re hit. I need to get you to a doctor now!”

“Blue.” The reporter gently replied. “The nearest settlement is Bunker Hill, and that’s over an hour walk from – “ 

“No it isn’t, Piper.” Naomi replied, her dead blue eyes beginning to water. “Do you trust me, Piper?” She asked, rummaging through her backpack.

The reporter stared deep into Naomi’s eyes and hesitated, before finally coming to a decision. “Yes.”

Upon hearing Piper’s response the blonde placed a small object into the reporter’s palm. 

“Hold that for me, Piper.” Naomi gently ordered. The reporter held onto the strange device, but before she could make a single remark, Piper Wright’s entire world turned to white.


	14. Welcome to the Institute!

“You’re right, mademoiselle. She is very beautiful, just as you described.” 

“Yeah. Are you sure she’s going to be okay, Curie? She’s been asleep like this for hours.”

“Naomi, you need to let this poor woman rest. She is going to be fine. Well, she’ll be fine, physically. Mentally, however… I can only guess how she will react to being here in the Institute, but I do not think she will like it. She also hates you very much now.”

“Oh, gee. Thanks for reminding me, doc.” The blonde replied sarcastically. 

“If she truly hates the Institute as much as you say she does, why don’t you just relay her back to her home?” 

“I don’t think Piper will like the fact that we can just show up in her house whenever we want too. Besides, while we’re down here maybe I can show her around. If she can just see that we’re not monsters…. That there are good people here just trying to make the Commonwealth a better place in their own way. Maybe she’ll… Maybe she’ll come around if - “

“Naomi.” Curie calmly replied, placing a hand on the taller woman’s shoulder.”

“This woman has suffered dearly because of the Institute’s actions. You said so yourself. Having to live her entire life in fear of the Institute? One cannot overcome such deeply rooted paranoia this quickly if at all.”

“Well… What should I do then?”

Curie sighed deeply. “I wish I could tell you, mademoiselle, but I’m a doctor not a therapist. Every individual is different. Anything is possible.”

“Yeah, I know. Thank you for being here, Curie.” 

“You don’t have to thank me for being your friend. Now are you sure you don’t want to let Piper rest in the infirmary instead of here in your quarters? Where are you going to sleep tonight?”

“I’ll just roll up a chair. I don’t want her to be alone if she wakes up in the middle the night, and I don’t think she’d enjoy waking up surrounded by a bunch of coursers and gen I synths. It’s better here.” The blonde replied gently.

“Alright, Naomi.” Curie said, proceeding to hug Naomi. “I truly hope the two of you can work this out.”

“Me too.” Naomi replied sadly, burying her face into the doctor’s shoulder. “Me too.”

Curie separated from the hug and waved goodbye to the Institute’s director. “I’ll be back in the morning to double check on you two. Be sure that you give Ms. Wright her medicine before I get here. Unlike some people, I’m sure your reporter doesn’t enjoy getting shot.”

The blonde chuckled quietly. “I don’t enjoy getting shot. I enjoy the looks of people’s faces when they realize that I’m not going to go down when I do.” 

The doctor smiled, and left leaving Naomi alone with the sleeping reporter. “God, she looks like one of those sleeping princesses in the stories I used to read when I was a little girl.” Naomi thought to herself, covering Piper with a blanket. “Who am I kidding? She deserves better than me.” Naomi rolled a chair up next to her bed, and reclined in it. “Above all else, I just wish I could make you happy, Piper.” And with that final thought, the director of the Institute fell asleep.

 

X

 

X

 

X

 

Piper Wright awoke feeling as if she had weights strapped to her eyelids. “Where am I?” She thought to herself as she inspected the strange room. It was so clean, it looked almost clinical, like what a hospital might look like before the war. “Yup. It’s official. I’m dead.” Piper’s inner monologue continued. “Well, at least I – Nat!” The reporter began to panic. She couldn’t be dead! Who would take care of her sister while she was gone? Who would stop Nat from getting herself killed in attempting to follow in her footsteps? Piper quickly rose up from the bed, only to realize that Naomi had entered the room holding a tray full of food. 

The blonde quickly placed the tray on the floor and rushed to face the reporter. “Piper, it’s alright. I’m here! You’re safe!” The blonde woman said, placing her hands on the shorter woman’s shoulders. 

“Blue, where are we? What’s going on?”

“We’re… We’re in the Institute, Piper. You’re safe.” 

Ever since Piper was a little girl she had an opinion on everything and everyone, but this was the first time in her entire life that she was left absolutely speechless. “How did we get here, Naomi?” She asked, timidly. 

“We relayed in. Walking is so overrated.” Naomi replied, attempting to get a smile out of the reporter. 

Piper’s adrenaline rush had subsided for the most part, and she quickly began to realize she had an intense burning sensation on her stomach. The reporter winced, and sat back down on the bed. 

“I uh, I brought you some breakfast, Piper, and some medicine for the pain.” The blonde commented hesitantly as she picked up the tray of food off the floor. 

“That knight… He just, he just shot me, blue. I mean. I know he was trying to kill you, but he didn’t even hesitate to shoot.” 

Naomi handed the tray to the reporter who was now laying down on the bed. “I know this isn’t the time to say I told you so, but-“

“No, blue. You’re right.” The reporter replied reluctantly, inspecting the food on the tray.

“Wait, I am?” Naomi asked, baffled that Piper had actually agreed with her.

“I was just trying to keep you two from killing each other. I mean… God, blue. These people call themselves knights, I though at worst he would’ve just asked me politely to move so he could arrest you. Not try to kill me and then execute you on the spot.”

“Just arrest me? Thanks, Piper. I’ll remember that the next time I bring you breakfast in bed.” Naomi winced at her response. “I’m sorry, I… Do you want me to relay you back home?”

Before she responded the reporter pulled up the white shirt that they had apparently dressed her in to inspect the burn she received from the laser blast. To her surprise, however, there was no visible damage whatsoever. “Blue, I got shot. Where is my scar?” As Piper looked up she realized that the blonde was blushing. No, more than blushing, Naomi was as red as a tomato. 

“Well, uh, you did get shot. The Institute, we have good medicine. We don’t leave scars. This isn’t the dark ages, well I mean, now it kind of is again, but-“

Piper chuckled while Naomi attempted to explain herself. She enjoyed not being the one who was completely embarrassed for once. “You have good medicine, Naomi?” The reporter asked jokingly. 

The blonde was still extremely red. “I… Piper. You didn’t answer my question.” 

The reporter froze. “The Institute… this place… it’s safe?”

Naomi smiled. “Yes, Piper. It’s probably the safest place in the Commonwealth.”

Piper hesitated before she came to a decision. “I want to see it. I want to see the Institute, Naomi. All of it.” She responded sternly.

“Ok, Piper. Eat your breakfast and when you're done, I’ll show you everything.”


	15. Institute Interrogation

“Naomi was right.” Piper thought to herself. “This place is a paradise.” The two girls walked through the Institute’s central atrium and began heading towards… somewhere. “Um, Blue?” The reporter asked apprehensively. 

“Yes, Piper?” Naomi replied in a tone you would use to comfort a child. 

“Where exactly are we going?”

“Well you wanted the full tour so everywhere, but we’re going to the advanced systems facility first.”

“Oh, um, alright.” Piper replied, timidly. As they walked towards the facility Piper felt like a true outsider, for everywhere she looked multitudes of scientists, synths, and coursers were scrutinizing her. “God, is this how Naomi feels every time she goes to the surface? No wonder she always looks like she’s on edge.” Piper quietly murmured to herself. Naomi and Piper entered a room full of scientists dressed in blue lab coats.

“Alright, this is the advanced systems facility.” The blonde commented. “This is where we make all types of new weapons, armor, and tech. If you’re looking for something dangerous and sexy, you’re gonna find it here.” Naomi said, with a wink.

Piper let out a small chuckle. “You’re the only person I’ve ever met who describes technology as sexy.”

“Oh, yeah. Well, I use it to describe architecture and aerospace engineering designs too. You wouldn’t believe the looks I used to get in college for remarks like that.” The tall girl replied, smiling. 

Piper hesitated before she proceeded to talk. “Naomi, there’s something I don’t understand.”

“Um, what is it? If I can’t answer your question there are literally hundreds of people around here who most likely can.” 

“If your technology is so advanced then why are your laser rifles so horrible?” Piper laughed so hard she almost snorted. 

“Oh. Ha-Ha-Ha. Very funny.” Naomi replied dryly. “Well, there’s actually a reason why Institute guns are so weak.”

“Oh really? So there’s a reason why you people made a gun that is about as dangerous as a toaster?” The reporter digressed.

The blonde glared down at shorter girl. “Yes, Piper. There laser rifles you see everybody else using, the AER-9 those were all mostly made before the war. They were manufactured by the U.S. Military, which everybody knows had more funding than it knew what to do with. So they could actually afford to equip each and every gun with the proper crystals and could afford to properly maintain them. We, however, aren’t at war with anyone. We mass produce synths so in turn we mass produce weapons for them. They’re all disposable so why even bother wasting more resources than is absolutely necessary?” 

“Oh, that makes sense.” Piper commented.

“Of course it does. Now come on, let me show you the bioscience division!” The two girls exited the room and began their walk to the next facility. 

“Hey, blue. Can I ask you a personal question?”

Naomi quickly turned to look at Piper as they walked before turning away. “ Um… Ok, what is it?”

“Why aren’t you a scientist? I mean, if you love all of this stuff so much why aren’t you just down here all the time doing experiments? You’re… You’re too good for mercenary work, Naomi.” 

The blonde chuckled. “It’s just the hand I was dealt, I guess. I’m not smart enough to be a scientist.” Naomi said with a hint of sadness in her voice. 

“Oh that’s bullshit, Naomi. You’re brilliant, I’ve heard the way you’ve talked, you could easily fit in with these people.”

Naomi smiled. “Thank you, and I do actually fit in fairly well, but it’s like you said. All I can do is talk the talk. I can explain abstract concepts and understand various theories that most people can barely comprehend, but if you put me in front of a blackboard full of equations I just… I can’t do it.”

“And you’re telling me that in an entire facility full of geniuses you can’t find one decent teacher?” Piper asked skeptically.

“I… You know. I’ve found that people who are truly great, whether it be people like Einstein, Tesla, Howard Hughes, or whoever. A lot of these people had beautiful talents and abilities, but… Life just finds a way of compensating for the fact that you have a quality that makes you great.” Naomi commented sadly. “These people all had some sort of disorder that prevented them from truly reaching their fullest potential. Yes, they were amazing, and they accomplished more than a lot of people ever could, but they suffered from things like OCD, learning disabilities, and more. Don’t even get me started on how Beethoven went deaf, and how so many great literary figures committed suicide because of their mental disabilities. I’m not… I’m not great, I’m never going to write a great novel or invent some world-changing device, but my strength is that I’m extremely well rounded. And well… I guess life figured that I needed to be compensated for that in its own way…” Naomi replied despairingly. 

“Compensated how, Naomi?” Piper asked with concern. 

The blonde stopped walking, and faced the reporter. “I… Um… I have uh… I’m just not alright altogether mentally. I have BPD, it’s a personality disorder. That’s all.” She replied. “I just figure I’d help out the people who have the potential to change the world since I can’t. Trying to learn these abstract concepts can be stressful, and when I’m stressed, I … It makes me sick. So I avoid it.”

Piper let out a small chuckle. “So you decide that you’d rather get shot in the field of battle than face some math problems, blue?” The reporter asked gently, trying to cheer the blonde up.

“Taking charge, leading, trying to save people. That’s my thing, that’s what I do best. I could spend an entire lifetime trying to learn something most scientists pick up in a couple of years at most. What I do is dangerous, but… I at least get immediate results, and I’m fighting an actual enemy instead of what’s in my own head.” Before the reporter could respond Naomi interjected. “Look the bioscience division is right here, c’mon. Let’s go.” 

The bioscience facility was much larger than the advanced systems room. It also had a cage containing two strange animals that Piper had never seen before in her entire life. She would’ve asked what they were but before she could a woman in a green lab coat approached them.

“Hey, Curie. Look who’s up.” 

“Ah, Piper. It is a pleasure to finally meet you at last. Naomi has told me so much about you.” The woman exclaimed, extending her hand out in greetings.

Piper shook the woman’s hand. “Oh, you’re Curie? It’s nice to meet you too. Yeah, Naomi has told me a lot about you too.”

The scientist smiled, before turning to Naomi. “Um, director. We’ve created a new batch of that fruit you asked for, would you mind making sure that it is adequate?”

Naomi smiled. “You don’t even have to ask. Um, I’ll be right back, alright, Piper?” 

“Oh, uh, sure blue. You go right ahead.” Naomi walked off leaving her alone with the scientist with the French accent. 

“What do you want with Naomi?” Curie asked sternly.

Piper was absolutely shocked. “What do you mean? I-“

“Do not play games with me, Piper. You know Naomi likes you. What are your intentions with the director?” 

“Intentions? None. I, I was just going to help her with-“

“Help her? How? Naomi told me that you said you liked her.” 

“No. I said I used to like her… I-“ Piper couldn’t stop herself from stuttering. This wasn’t the first time she had been interrogated before, hell. She’d been interrogated in situations where her own life was in peril, but never had she ever been questioned like this about her love life.

“No. You told her you experienced feelings of infatuation for her in the present tense. So I will ask you one more time. What are your intentions with my friend?”

“I… I don’t know anymore, Curie… Every single time I think I’ve made up my mind something happens, and I’m swayed in the other direction. I just, I don’t know what I even want anymore, ok?”

“Then you make up your mind today, mademoiselle. You cannot play these games with Naomi. It is not good for her! Do you even know about her mental condition?“

“Her BPD? Yeah, she told me about… What does that have to do with anything?” 

The anger on Curie’s face was clearly visible. “It has everything to do with this situation, Piper! Do you know the day you two went to the mutfruit farm, when Naomi got shot I spent the entire night trying to stop her from crying. And when I asked, ‘do you want me to get you some more pain medicine?’ She said ‘no, Curie, thank you. They destroyed all my mutfruit.’”

Piper hesitated. “I don’t… Where are you going with this?”

Curie sighed. “This woman had been shot! And you know what she was more concerned with? Fruit! Naomi is a strong woman, I have seen her take hits that would cause even a super mutant to go down, and she will keep fighting. Yet she tumbles over in despair because some little plant got hurt! Naomi’s emotions are extreme. A bad day for Naomi could be life threatening… Do not play games with her emotions!”

The reporter was overwhelmed. This was all so much to take in. She could tell something wasn’t quite right with the blonde from the beginning, but this wasn’t at all what she had thought was wrong with her.

“This is why I am telling you to make up your mind, Piper. Naomi likes you. She will wait years for you to come to a decision, but she that is not good for her. If you are honestly going to pursue a relationship with her more than a friendship then decide today, because these games you are playing with her... It’s selfish.”

“I… Alright.” What did she want? She would be lying to herself if she said that she wasn’t genuinely interested in the blonde girl, but… Could she handle a relationship with her? From spending an entire life in fear of the Institute to practically becoming a member herself? 

“Oh, and one more thing, Piper?”

“Um, yes?” The reporter asked hesitantly.

“I do not know if Naomi told you this, but my consciousness used to be uploaded into an old medical robot before it was placed into this synth body. I was programmed to follow the Hippocratic Oath, and while I am no longer restricted to following these rules in my new body I still follow them. If you hurt my best friend, however, I will be willing to make one exception to these rules. Is that clear, mademoiselle?”

“Perfectly.” Piper replied with a glare on her face. Before anybody could make another remark Naomi returned. 

“Did you give, Piper the full tour, Curie?”

“Oh, oui, mademoiselle! She absolutely loved it! Isn’t that right, Ms. Wright?”

“Uh, yeah. It was great! Real… Science-y.”

The blonde smiled. “I’m glad. Alright, Curie. I’m going to go show her around the rest of the Institute. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Ok, director! You take care!”

Piper and Naomi exited the bioscience facility and headed for the main atrium. “So, Piper. Where do you want to go next?”

“Um, this has been great and all, but… I actually kind of want to go home now.”

The tall woman frowned. “Oh…Well, I’ll have a synth walk you to the relay so we can send you back home. I um… I hope you have a fantastic life, Piper…” Naomi said sadly and began to walk away. Before she could get too far, however, Piper called for her.

“Wait! Naomi!” The blonde turned and approached the reporter once again. “Maybe we can… Maybe tomorrow we can see each other again?”

Naomi’s face lit up. “Ok! Um, do you want me to get some synths to help save some settlers or fight some raiders or-“

Piper chuckled. “No, blue. Just us. You can come to my house tomorrow. No business. No brotherhood, no Institute, just you and me.”

“I would love that, Piper.” The blonde said embracing the reporter. “It’s a date?”

Piper smiled as she embraced the taller girl. For some reason this just felt right. “Yes, blue. It’s a date.”


	16. Second First Date

“I’m sorry, Nat, but you’re gonna have to go hang out with one of your friends for the day. I’ve got-“

“I know, Piper. You’ve got your date with ‘blue’ today.” Nat said in a mocking tone.

“Oh, hush it’s just a date! We’re not even going anywhere. It’ll just be the two of us having a nice day to talk and relax.”

“A nice casual date at home that you’ve spent over an hour getting ready for?” Nat chuckled. 

“Ok, sis. Out of here! Now!”” Piper said, feeling her cheeks warm up.

“I love you too, Piper! Have fun with, ‘blue!’” Nat said, running out the front door. In her excitement, she neglected to consider the fact that someone might actually be waiting outside. A fact that she realized much too late as she ran headfirst into Naomi’s armor-covered chest. 

“Ouch!” 

“Whoah there, Nat.” Naomi said as she helped the young girl back to her feet. “You ok down there?” 

“Oh, Ms. Lady! I forget how tall you are sometimes, yeah. I’m fine, thanks! By any chance did you uh-“

Before Nat could finish her sentence Naomi began to rummage through her backpack. She was glad that the young girl remembered their little tradition despite all the time that had passed. Children, even in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, always tended to be incredibly forgiving. 

“Here you go, sweetheart.” Naomi said, presenting Nat with a small package bearing the Institute’s logo. “It’s something you’ve never had before! All the deliciousness of those sugar bombs you enjoy so much, minus the radiation and calories!” 

Nat grabbed the packaged and clutched it to her chest. “Thanks Ms. Lady! I’ve never had Institute food before.” She said in a low whisper before she proceeded to run outside.

“Well she looked like she was in quite the rush. Everything ok in here, Piper?” 

“Yeah, blue. Everything’s fine, come in!” The reporter stepped downstairs and let out a chuckle. “Naomi, are you here for a date or military training? What’s with all the armor?” Gesturing to the armored clothing the blonde wore for almost every occasion. 

“Oh, well. I relayed just outside of Diamond City so we wouldn’t have to secure any buildings or anything for me to relay into here. And I didn’t really feel like getting shot by any super mutants or anything on the way here so… Here I am.” 

Piper took a seat on the couch of her living room. “You can take all that off if you want too. Besides, the generator keeps it pretty warm in here.”

Naomi smiled and thanked the reporter as she began to unbuckle all of the pieces of armor. The strange pieces of equipment were so heavy Piper could hear them loudly thudding as they fell to the floor. After a minute or so the blonde had stripped down to nothing but her jeans and a grey tank top that left very little to the imagination. Naomi picked her backpack off the floor and carried it to the couch where Piper was sitting. "Is this alright? I can put my jacket back on if you’d like? I think you might be allergic to me or something, look how red you are!” Naomi giggled, taking a seat next to the reporter.

“N-no-no this, um. That’s fine. You can keep that on.”

Naomi smiled and began rummage through her backpack once again. “I brought this for you, Piper.” She said, handing a small beverage container to the reporter. 

“Oh, gee. Thanks blue. Um. What is it?” She asked hesitantly.

“It’s lemonade! My first couple months out of the vault I was sure that I had actually died in that cryopod and went to hell. The fact that there were no lemons anywhere and no lemonade at any of the Commonwealth’s most famous bars just seemed to confirm that suspicion. So when I got the Institute and had discovered that they had an entire inventory of seeds of plants and fruits from before the war. Well… You can probably guess what my first acting order of being the Institute’s director was!” 

“That’s uh… That sounds fascinating, blue, but… What are lemons?”

Piper winced at Naomi’s facial expression. She felt as if she had just diagnosed Naomi with some sort of terminal illness.

“It’s… You know what? Just try some. I guarantee you’ve never had anything like it before!”

“Um, if you say so. Wait! Is there alcohol in this?”

“No, Piper. I can’t believe this is barely coming out now, but I don’t drink anyways.”

“You don’t drink? What? Why not?”

“Oh god, it sounds like I’m back in college again. I’d normally be afraid to sound like a judgmental bitch, but this is the post-apocalypse. I just think drinking is stupid. Most people who drink can’t afford to kill their brain cells in the first place yet they continue to do it religiously.”

“You’re right, Naomi.” Piper said flatly. “That is very judgmental.”

“I’m sorry. I know not everybody who drinks is stupid, I just… Before the war society over romanticized alcohol, and it just made me so angry. I just have so many bad experiences with it. I mean, even as a kid I always thought college would be such a great place to make friends and bond with others over our shared love for knowledge, but once I went to a university most people just spent all their free time doing things that they probably won’t even remember. “

“I see where you’re coming from, Naomi. But that’s still not a proper way of thinking.”

“Yeah…” Naomi digressed. “But, forget all that, try the lemonade!”

Piper furrowed her eyebrows and took a quick swig of the drink. “Whoah! That’s...” The reporter quickly took another drink. “That’s really good! It’s bitter and sweet!”

Naomi smiled. “I know right? Lemonade and coffee practically fueled me before the war. I have a couple of extra bottles in my bag for Nat if you want to give her some too.”

“Thank you for being so nice to Nat all the time, blue. She always gets so excited whenever you bring her things.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that.” Naomi said as she played with her hair. “Nat’s such a nice girl, I’d do it for her even if she wasn’t the sister of the most beautiful girl in the Commonwealth.”

“Blue!” Piper chuckled as she gently punched Naomi’s shoulder. “Honestly though, thank you for being a positive role model for her. Even if you are some Institute boogeyman.” 

“Well if she ever wants to intern. You know where to find me. I’m just surprised you aren’t spending more time helping Nat with her journalism career. She seems like she wants to follow right in your footsteps!”

Piper let out a long, exasperated sigh, and as she looked into Naomi’s dead blue eyes she realized that the blonde knew something was wrong.

“Is everything alright, Piper?”

“I just… I have this problem, Naomi. With my sister, Nat. Becoming me.”

“Becoming you? I assure you, I’m never going to replace any of you with synths. I promise.” Naomi chuckled.

“Oh har har. Seriously, though. I mean, think about the life we lead. No offense intended, blue, but personal safety doesn’t exactly seem like either of our strong suits. I can’t have her ending up like her big sister, dodging bullets and getting shot at by brotherhood maniacs. It’s part of the reason I’m on the road so much. Part of the reason I’ve kept going off with you. I keep thinking maybe, if I make myself scarce, if I’m not around her enough, she’ll cool off. She’ll just go back to being sweet, innocent Nat, papergirl, and all-around upstanding citizen. I just…” The reporter sighed again. “What do I do, blue?”

“Oh, Piper. You just love her. Family’s precious. The last thing you want to do is drive them away, because you might lose them forever. Even with arguments I always had to tell my family I loved them, because you never know when you could just lose it all…”

“You’re right. I can’t risk that… Thank you, blue.” During their conversation Piper never realized that they were slowly drawing closer to each other. “They really don’t make them like you anymore. You know that?” Piper said softly. Noticing that her fingers were now interlacing with Naomi’s. 

“No, Piper. I’m a faulty product.” Naomi chuckled. “But you’re the full package.” 

Piper closed her eyes and felt Naomi’s lips gently brush against hers for a second, before a loud noise came from the front door.

“Hey, sis! Do you know where my toy car is I-“

Before Piper could even respond Nat slammed the door, her squeal still audible from inside the house.

Naomi chuckled. “Well, if you wanted space from your sister, I’m sure she’s going to try her best to avoid the house on our next date.”

Piper removed her cap and placed it on Naomi’s before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Hush, blue. Or I’m going to have her supervise you to control those wandering lips of yours!”

“Oh, my wandering lips? What was that kiss you just gave me right now then, huh?” Naomi giggled.

Piper smiled. For the first time in a very long time, life felt like it was perfect.


End file.
